Swab or deck mops have been used as popular cleaning tools for many years. Such mops routinely consist of a handle secured to a mop head, from which cloth, cotton, sponge or other absorbent material cleaning strand elements extend. The cleaning strand elements absorb liquid and are also used to apply floor cleaning substances like water, soap, polish, or other fluid for the cleaning, restoration, and preservation of floor surfaces. Despite the relative success of these type mops, they are generally ineffective in removing ingrained soiled areas. For cleaning ingrained dirt and stains, an abrasive surface is required. Such may be accomplished by the use of a separate abrasive component.
Abrasive scrubber components have been used on a variety of different types of mops. As early as the late nineteenth century, brush surfaces were added to mops, as seen in the pivoted press plate sponge shown in U.S. Pat. No. 603,000. Other examples of abrasive brush surfaces on mops of varied configurations include U.S. Pat. No. 2,472,781, showing a brush mounted on a one piece sponge mop; U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,998, disclosing an abrasive scrubber mounted on a roller type sponge mop; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,750, which employs a unique abrasive scrubber unit employed on a butterfly sponge mop. There have also been deck mops which have attempted to incorporate an abrasive element. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,509 discloses a swab mop with an abrasive element attached to the ends of the mop's cleaning strands. This arrangement suggests several problems in practical use. The cleaning strands obviously get in the way of the abrasive component during the cleaning operation. More fundamentally, it is difficult to effectively clean soil ingrained areas with this mop, as the user would be compelled to apply pressure to the abrasive element while literally holding the mop perpendicular to the cleaning surface, making use of the abrasive feature difficult and impractical. And, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,378 shows an effectively placed scrubber element on a swab mop, the element is located on a roller sleeve, and thus can not be used unless employed with the system disclosed in that patent.